All experience is known, and therefore pure knowing, being aware or awareness itself is present in all experience. It would not be possible to have or know experience if knowing or awareness were not present. As such, awareness is the prerequisite for all experience; it is the primary and fundamental element in all experience. We … Continued
Through all our techniques and procedures, the sense-of-I remains the cornerstone of our existence. When we look at our experience we appear to be the center of the universe. All experiences seem to confirm our central place in life, and every input is interpreted through the lens of self. We hear about the corrupted power … Continued
Spiritual practice is stepping out of the assumed reality of “me” by understanding what the “me” is and withdrawing energy from its perceptual fixations.
An essential point will be stated many times in different ways throughout this book, and this is that we must be very careful not to carry the assumption of separation within the practices that have the intended purpose of stepping out of self-deception. If we do, we will be reinforcing our egoic conditioning and move … Continued
A lay Buddhist is one who fully embodies his or her entire life of work, family, and relationships without spiritually prioritizing any activity. From this perspective all moments are equally precious, and whether we are practicing formal meditation on retreat or showing up for ordinary moments of our lay life, freedom is never diminished. The … Continued
As I was leaving my home monastery Wat Suan Mok for the last time in 1983, my teacher Ajahn Buddhadassa said to me, “Teach anatta and don’t be afraid to shake people.”
How we frame our final destination and purpose will immediately affect how we work with these thoughts. For example, if we are looking for peace of mind, we will assume these thoughts are in opposition to the tranquility we seek, and we will look for peace in a mind that is free of thinking. But … Continued
The first question we pose is whether it is possible to observe the mind without thinking about what we see, to somehow park ourselves in a neutral location where we can silently observe with the impartiality that is needed. We cannot understand what something really is unless we see it free of the contaminating history … Continued
One of these boundaries is constructed between the organism and the external environment, another separates our body from our mind, and yet another forms a demarcation within the mind, separating the “image-of-me” from mental qualities we refuse to identify with our image. All of these are imaginary, but we have painted ourselves into a corner … Continued
The truth is that all things are conjoined in ways that the mind is incapable of perceiving, and we therefore cannot use the mind as an indication of what is ultimately true. It responds in accordance with how it organizes the data, and therefore thinks in terms of separation. Secondly, since the mind is only … Continued
The fundamental principle we must remember when traversing a spiritual path is that “we” do not “have” a mind. The mind has created the sense of you and me from the way it perceives reality. The truth is the mind holds “us” within it. “We” are not the possessor of a mind, and the mind … Continued
This principle of the undivided mind is fundamental to a new shift in understanding, and it impacts everything within our spiritual practice. If the mind is to work in a wise direction and we are to see through the fiction of duality, then the entire spiritual path needs to be organized around this truth from … Continued
If there is any commentary or leaning into or away from any experience, the sense-of-self will reestablish its partisanship, and the mind will be divided between what is and what it wants.
Furthermore, we cannot bring ourselves along in the process because to do so is to maintain the idea that we are different from the observed mind.
If the freedom of the Buddha is the intention of our spiritual practice, that freedom is dependent upon whether we are in alignment with the truth of our nature in body, speech, and mind at every step along the way. As Nisargadatta Maharaj said to me in 1980, “If you keep trying to find the … Continued
For a few people, a full lifetime as a monastic or living many years on retreat is a wise direction. Each of us has a unique spiritual design that pulls us toward freedom. The problem arises when we listen to others for our direction, or we think we “should” do something because others have done … Continued
Leaning toward or away from any experience creates an anticipation of fulfillment in the future, and the sacred that exists here and now is lost. Discovering the sacred within all moments is the hallmark of awakening.
We often feel our everyday existence is a distraction from our spiritual intention. When this happens, life is divided between the sacred and mundane, and the mind pits one concept against the other.
We cannot delay fully embracing the moment. To do so maintains the divisions within the mind, the division between the mind and the body, and the division between the organism and its environment. All divisions are attempts to keep us from the truth of what is right here. When this is understood by the sincere … Continued
The most important understanding for a lay Buddhist is the immediate availability of awakening. Awakening need not arrive after a long, protracted practice history unless we believe that this is necessary. We deliberately delay our readiness because we are divided about what we really want. We practice until we are tired of preparing for what … Continued